Water-based adhesives for difficult substrates and low temperatures

Abstract

Adhesive compositions comprising one or more polymerizable surfactant monomers as part of an emulsion polymer bond well to a wide spectrum of substrates that conventional adhesive have difficulty adhering to and have improved low temperature and high temperature performance as compared to conventional PSAs.

1 . A universal aqueous adhesive composition comprising: an aqueous acrylic emulsion polymer further comprising, as copolymerized units, 0.25% to 99.75% by weight, based on dry polymer weight, of monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic (meth)acrylic monomer, from 0.40% to 99.75% by weight, based on dry polymer weight of one or more ethylenically unsaturated surfactant monomers and from 0.25% to 10% by weight, based on dry polymer weight, of monoethylenically unsaturated acid monomer, said polymer having a Tg of −100° C. to 40° C., wherein the adhesive composition adheres to low energy and high energy substrates.  
   
   
       2 . The universal adhesive of  claim 1  wherein the adhesive composition is prepared from a polymer having a Tg of −100° C. to 0° C.  
   
   
       3 . A universal aqueous adhesive compositions comprising: one or more polymerizable surfactant monomers in an amount from 0.40% to 100% by weight, based on the total weight of the one or more aqueous adhesive compositions, the aqueous adhesive composition having at least one of the following properties improved relative to that of a corresponding aqueous adhesive composition absent the one or more polymerizable surfactant monomers, selected from one or more of the following: improved mechanical stability, improved drying profile, improved rheology for coating, improved adhesion over a range of high and low temperatures, including temperatures less than 15° C., improved anchorage to a substrate or a composite substrate at temperatures less than 15° C., improved adhesion to low energy or non-polar substrates, improved adhesion to recycled materials, improved rheology at temperatures less than 15° C., improved water resistance, improved humidity resistance; improved film integrity (i.e., green strength) at temperatures less than 15° C.; improved specific adhesion, enhanced peel-build characteristics, improved water whitening resistance, and improved plasticizer migration resistance, improved solvent resistance, improved additive migration resistance, low noise unwind of films, gas-barrier properties, improved rheology for low temperature processing, and reduced edge ooze and flow to impart improved converting, cutting and stripping to an adhesive article.  
   
   
       4 . An aqueous pressure sensitive adhesive composition comprising: an aqueous acrylic emulsion polymer further comprising, as copolymerized units, from 0.25% to 99.75% by weight, based on dry polymer weight, of monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic (meth)acrylic monomer, from 0.40% to 99.75% by weight, based on dry polymer weight of one or more ethylenically unsaturated surfactant monomers and from 0.25% to 10% by weight, based on dry polymer weight, of monoethylenically unsaturated acid monomer, said polymer having a Tg of −100° C. to 0° C., wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive composition adheres to low energy and high energy substrates at temperatures less than 15° C.  
   
   
       5 . The pressure sensitive adhesive according to  claim 4 , further comprising one or more tackifiers.  
   
   
       6 . A pressure sensitive adhesive tape that adheres to low energy and high energy substrates at temperatures less than 15° C. and having high burst resistance when applied to one or more difficult to adhere to substrates.  
   
   
       7 . The pressure sensitive adhesive tape according to  claim 6  wherein the tape has improved adhesion on low energy substrates and substrates that are difficult to adhere to.  
   
   
       8 . The pressure sensitive adhesive according to  claim 4 , wherein maximum line speeds producing dry adhesive are at least 10-15% faster than conventional adhesives.  
   
   
       9 . A carton sealing tape prepared from the adhesive composition according to  claim 4  or  claim 5 .  
   
   
       10 . The pressure sensitive adhesive according to  claim 4 , wherein the adhesive is prepared from a blend of two or more polymers.